The current winter is the warmest since the beginning of weather record-keeping. The German Weather Service stated that the average temperature has been 4.1 degrees (Celsius, about 7.5 degrees F.) above normal. There have simply not been periods of extended temperatures below freezing. December was the warmest it has been in 32 years. Then January broke all records. The largest deviations from average temperatures were reported by meteorologists in Schleswig-Holstein and Berlin. On Helgoland (an island in the North Sea) it has been as mild as in Marseille on the French Mediterranean coast.
last updated: 27 February 2007 | 8:43 PM German time (2:43 PM ET)
Source: MDR INFO and Federal German Weather Service, Offenbach, Germany

Oh, FWIW, when oceanic islands (like Helgoland) get really warm winter temps, it means the oceans are still holding a lot of excess heat. Which means there is global warming goin' on. (And also is a logical explanation for why winter seems to start later and later each year.)

So, Jerry: Don't let facts get in the way of yer evangelizin', or of your patrons' OilCo interests. OK?

The number of Americans living in severe poverty has expanded dramatically under the Bush administration, with nearly 16 million people now living on an individual income of less than $5,000 (£2,500) a year or a family income of less than $10,000, according to an analysis of 2005 official census data.

The analysis, by the McClatchy group of newspapers, showed that the number of people living in extreme poverty had grown by 26 per cent since 2000. Poverty as a whole has worsened, too, but the number of severe poor is growing 56 per cent faster than the overall segment of the population characterised as poor - about 37 million people in all according to the census data.

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 28, 2007 10:42:37 EST
Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not speak to the media.

"Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media," one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

It is unusual for soldiers to have daily inspections after Basic Training.

Soldiers say their sergeant major gathered troops at 6 p.m. Monday to tell them they must follow their chain of command when asking for help with their medical evaluation paperwork, or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters.

Moreover, according to the Hadley Centre's data, there has so far been no
further global warming since 1998. Whether the seven-year hiatus since then
marks a change of trend or merely an unexplained and unpredicted blip in a
continuing upward trend, time will tell.